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Beat "Builders' Stress"

Having the Builders in "More Stressful than Week with In-Laws"

Improving your home doesn't have to result in contractor chaos - follow a few simple guidelines and get the best from your builder

Having builders in ranks as one of the most stressful times of your life - almost half the population say it's as stressful as arranging a wedding, buying a house, or having a baby - and worse than spending a week with the in-laws.

Top on the irritation list are builders who don't finish on time, ones who don't turn up when they say they will and those who run over budget.

It's not surprising that living with builders' mess ranks as the top cause for stress amongst homeowners. One in three homeowners still try to live a normal life as they share their homes with burly builders who demand snap decisions on where doors, windows and sockets should go, use the bathroom without asking and need a constant supply of tea.

Having a kitchen or bathroom out-of-action causes the biggest problems - with 53% complaining of the stress caused by having no kitchen and 41% saying the same about not having a bathroom.

"It's a massive invasion of your personal space having builders in. It means you have to adjust your private life to fit in with these strangers and this can put real strains on the family," says psychologist Donna Dawson."The key is to keep cool, keep talking and keep it friendly."

However there are a number of ways in which homeowners reduce the stress caused by having the builders in - 17% move out, 10% go on holiday, 26% chose a builder recommended by friends and 14% use a written contract.

Asked about other ways of finding solace from the stress, 42% said they would visit the gym or take up yoga, 14% said they would turn to alcohol and one in ten said they would get counselling. Over three quarters said they would employ an accredited builder, such as a Member of the FMB, to keep their stress levels down.

Helpful Articles

Jargon buster

Architrave – Moulding round opening such as door or windowArris – Sharp external angle - usually 90 degreesBaluster – Alternative term for BanisterBarge Board – Wide board fitted on edge of tiles following the slope of the roofBead – Small convex mouldingBib Tap – Tap fed by horizontal supply - as in a garden tapBlown or Live – Plaster that has lost its bond with the wallBond – Arrangement of bricks to ensure stability of brickworkButtress or Pier – Thickening of wall to form a vertical projection to strengthen itCavity Wall – Usual construction for external walls comprising an inner and outer leaf with a space between for insulationCistern – Tank for storing water - usually located in the atticCleat – cable fixing for phone wire, etcCoping – Protective finish to the top of a wallCorbelling – Successive projecting courses of brickworkCove or Cornice – Moulding around room at junction of wall and ceilingDado Rail – Horizontal moulding part way up a wallDeal – Term for piece of square-sawn softwoodDistemper – Wall paint made from water, pigment and glue (traditional)Drip – Moulding or groove in overhanging member to prevent water creeping backEaves – Overhang of roof beyond wall belowEfflorescence – Unsightly powdery white salts brought to surface of brickworkFlashing – Metal sheet used to deflect water at junction between roof and wallFlat Arch – An arch that is almost completely horizontalFlaunching – Cement mortar filler round the top of a chimney stackFlue – Tube conveying smoke or fumes from fireplaces or appliancesFlush Door – Door with completely flat facesFootlifter – Wedge used to lift boards for nailing to wallFormation Level – The deep point in an excavation for a drive or pathFrog – Indent on bed face of a brickGauged Brickwork – Fine brickwork with very thin jointsGable or Verge – Upper part of an outer wall at the end of a pitched roofGlazing Bar – Thin bar shaped to receive pane of glassGravity Fed System – Central heating system that circulates water by gravity and water expansionHeader – The end face of a brickHeader Tank – Small open cistern (tank) that feeds water to central heating systemHerringbone – Zigzag pattern of brickworkHip – Line of adjoining sections of pitched roof at external angle of buildingHipped Roof – Pitched roof, the ends of which are also slopedHip Tile – Roof tile shaped to cover hip of roofJamb – The side of an opening in a wall for a door or windowJoist – Support for floor and ceilingKnotting – Varnish to stabilise knots in woodLean-to Roof – Sloping roof supported along its highest part by a taller adjoining wallLight – Subdivision of a window - fixed or opening. Opening light can be top or side hungLintel – Concrete or steel beam over opening to support wall aboveLoose-Fill Insulation – loose material for insulating cavity walls and loftsMansard Roof – Form of pitched roof designed to provide more space for roomsMegger – Test meter used by electriciansMezzanine – Extra floor - possibly inserted between floor and ceiling of very tall roomMitre – Angled joint (similar to joint in picture frame)Module – Dimensional co-ordination of componentsMuck – Brickie term for mortarMullion – Upright post in windowNewel – Vertical post at top and bottom of staircaseNogging – Short wooden stiffeners inserted between joistsNosing – Rounded edge of a stair tread projecting beyond the riserParapet – Low wall at the edge of a roofPebble Dash – Roughcast wall finish with stones bedded in rendered wallPilaster – Projecting part of a square column which is attached to wallPitch – Slope of roof - expressed as an angle or ratioPlain tile – Rectangular "flat" roofing tilePlaster – Applied wall finishPlasterboard – Prefabricated sheets of plaster for walls and ceilingsPlinth – Projecting base to external wallsPurlin – Horizontal beam, part way up a rafter to prevent saggingRafters – Series of structural timbers rising from eaves to ridge to support pitched roof coveringRail – Horizontal member in door or fenceRelieving Arch – An arch constructed above a lintel or beam to take weight of wall aboveRender – External sand-cement coating for wallsReveal – Vertical side of door or window openingRidge – Top of a pitched roofRing Main – Power circuit for socketsRise – Vertical distance between two adjacent stair treadsRiser – Upright part of a stair OR vertical water pipe from the mainsRoof Truss – Prefabricated structural timer framework to support roofRSJ – Rolled steel joistSash – Framework for glass -in particular double-hung sliding sash windowScreed – Layer of fine concrete used to provide smooth surface prior to floor finishSarking Felt – Waterproof felt under roof tile battensSecond Fix – Items fitted following plastering - including joiner, cupboards and plumbing/electrical fittingsSill – Bottom horizontal member of a door or window frameSkim – Finishing coat of plasterSkirting – Horizontal board at junction between floor and wallSoffit – Visible underside of a projecting surfaceSpan – Horizontal distance covered by a beam or lintel etc.Spoil – Material dug out during excavationStack – Vertical pipe carrying waste from sinks and toiletsStocks – Hand or machine-made bricks made in a mouldStretcher – The side face of a brickString – Sloping board carrying the treads and risers of a staircaseTarmac – Bitumen macadam coating aggregate for drive/path surfacesTimber Frame – Type of house construction usually finished with brickwork outer skinTread – Horizontal part of a stairTRV – Thermostatic radiator valveVoussoir – Wedge-shaped brick used in arch constructionWainscot – Wooden lining to the walls of a room (traditional)

Working with your builder

Once you have chosen a builder, put your agreement in writing, so both parties have a clear understanding of the scope and cost of the work.

The contract should detail exactly what work should be carried out, when it is to start and finish, the cost, broken down into installments and when these should be paid.

If timescale is important, you should agree a finish date with the builder with a penalty clause if they have not completed by this date.

Agree what constitutes a finished job (e.g. repaired and clean site).

Arrangements for rubbish removal and welfare facilities for the builder's contractors should also be agreed in writing. If you don't think you can share your bathroom or kitchen with the builders tell them so they can make other arrangements in advance and advise you of any cost involved (e.g. hire of port-a-loo).

If you do encounter difficulties

Be realistic – Builders aren't mind readers, so if your project is not going to plan you must spell it out and explain what you do want.

Talk to the 'main person' - Telling sub-contractors to change things mid-construction will not only cause problems within the team but also confuse everyone as to what it is you really want.

If your builder is a member of the FMB and you simply cannot resolve matters, then the FMB will advise you, the customer, and work with both parties to reach a solution.

The FMB sets high standards that builders must meet in order to become members, and therefore takes any complaint against a member very seriously. All complaints are investigated fully and in the vast majority of cases, they are simply resolved through the intervention of the FMB. However, where that is not possible, the FMB will help with independent dispute resolution.

The FMB complaints procedure has teeth. If members don't meet our standards they can be removed from the FMB register.